Changing Faith
by vampireprincess44
Summary: I was the last of my kind, alone in a world that was lost and dying. My teachings on earth had failed, greed too prominent in peoples minds to listen to the old ways. A hole to large to fill had taken over humanity. With a death threat and all my belongings I left a doomed world. Off to where She walks among the people still. To where I belong.
1. Chapter 1

Changing Faith

I hated cryo sleep, it was unnatural, strange, but they needed me. And I was tired of this world and unwilling to put my life on the line.

With a single bag, a trunk of books, a healing bag and a death threat packed away I was hurdled out into space.

Destination: Pandora

I opened my eyes and saw the top of my "container". I really hate cryo sleep, I mean who wants to wake up five years later feeling like you just went twelve rounds with Muhammad Ali. And yes I knew who that was.

It had been five years since I went under, so that would make me 26 years old. I floated around the ship to my locker, doing the math in my head. I grabbed onto the handle of my locker and looked at the name on the front. It was my given name A. Stone, the "A" was for Ann. It was a name I had long since given up.

I reached into my locker and pulled out my necklace and put it on. The silver pentacle sitting heavy on my skin, like it was glued there. I felt relieved at the weight. Next I pulled out a chain with two sets of dog tags on it. I put it over my head and they floated around in front of me. I looked over to the man next to me, he was looking at my tags. "You served?" he asked. I held the tags in my hand sadly, " No," I said, "but my family did, my father's and brother's tags." He looked down, "I'm sorry." was all he said. I brought the tags up to my lips and kissed them, "It was a long time ago." I spoke through the tags. "My names Jake" he said.

'Everybody going planet side, on the shuttle now. Lets go!" called a stern voice over the P.A system. I looked at the man, "I'll see you later I guess." I pushed off the locker bank and rocketed my way down the passageway. I boarded the shuttle and sat down cross-legged in my seat. I closed my eyes and let my mind go blank, my heart rate and breathing rate slowed. When I opened my eyes and looked around, everything was hazy. Bright and coloured like on a hot summer day, a thick haze coated everything. A light breeze moved the long meadow grass like yellow waves. Tiny leaves and grass buds flowed on the currents. A stream ran off to one side, in front of an enormous oak tree. That's when I saw her, she was there waiting for me. She looked like she always did, her micro braids pulled away from her face, with one or two hanging in front of her eyes. Fingers trailing lazily through the water, and a soft smile on her face.

I moved towards her, she looked up at me. She was sitting cross-legged in front of the tree. Her smile grew as she waved me over to sit by her. The only sound that came from her was the clicking from the beads that adorned her hair and the delicate clack of the wooden bracelets on her wrist. I sat down beside her, folding my legs under me. She looked up from the ripples on the water, and smiled at me as she took my hand. "Everything will be alright my daughter." she said to me. A tear fell from my eye, streaking a path down my wide cheekbones. Her thin fingers wiped it away, "I feel like I'm going to loose you All-mother." I whispered sadly. She laughed, the sound filled the meadow like bells, 'You will never loose me child, I am not leaving, only changing forms, and you will always be my daughter." A muffled voice echoed through the glade, calling me back to my body. The All-mother kissed my forehead, between my eyes and whispered onto my skin, "Remember, not gone only changed." I closed my eyes. When I opened them again I was back on the ship.

A man with dark skin was walking down the alley yelling "Exo-packs on, Exo-packs on." he stopped at the bay doors and called back, "Remember you loose that mask your unconscious in 30 seconds, your dead in 4 minutes. Lets nobody be dead today. It looks very bad on my report." I rolled my eyes and scoffed at him as I put my mask on, Typical, all they care about are the sponsors back on earth.

The doors opened and everybody ran out, as per orders that is. I looked across the cargo area to see Jake in a wheel chair. The captain walked downwards towards him and started yelling. I started to walk over when I saw the dark skinned captain grab the handle of Jake's wheelchair, I was pissed. It was like I appeared out of the air, as I was suddenly standing beside the man, glaring at him. "You move him, You die. He will be done when he is done and that is when we will leave." Jake looked up at me and nodded a thanks as we left the ship. When we stepped out, it was overwhelming. Jake looked impressed, I however was simply livid. A great gapping hole took up most of the compound. Once again they were hurting my All-mother. Cutting holes in her flesh and burning her hair away. Jake and I waited for a bulldozer to drive by and then we got or first look at the place that was going to be home for the next 5 years.

As we were walking into the compound some of the soldiers were looking at us and laughing. "Hey look, its meals on wheels." said one, "That is just wrong, but at least he brought dessert." said another. I flipped them both off as we walked by, a bald man grabbed my arm and pulled me to him. After a right upper cut to his diaphragm he fell to his knees, wheezing for breath. I knelt down to look at him, "If you ever touch me again, you will be very sorry." I said calmly. The bald man sat back on his heels and chuckled, "what are you going to do, slap me?" his buddies let out a laugh. I smirked and tilted my head in a predatory manner, " Go ahead, lets see how many fingers you have left when you do. I have preformed amputations and I am always armed. So go ahead, push your luck if you want to." I stood without a second glance at the man and walked away.

Jake entered the security briefing, I just kept walking. Nothing they said would do anything for me anyway. I was not afraid of this world. I found my room and set out my stuff, then walked off to find the link room. When I got there Grace was talking to a tall man with messy brown hair. I quietly joined the group and stood in the back. I stood there as grace was getting mad at Jake. She half shouted, "I need your brother, you know the PhD who trained for 5 years." Jake was getting upset, I could tell. He replied with just as much sarcasm and a shovel full of hurt, " He's dead, I know it's a big inconvenience for everyone." I gripped my brother's tags when he said this. I looked over at him, then at Grace, she was mad. I walked up behind Jake and laid my hand on his shoulder giving it a slight squeeze. "Take it easy Grace, I know your pissed but the man has passed, show some respect would you. " I said getting mad myself at the end. She looked at me with fury in her eyes, "Who the hell are you?" she asked. I put my fingers to my forehead and sighed, "Of course they wouldn't tell you, I've been assigned to your team… in case you run into any Na'vi and it goes south." Grace gritted her teeth, "I don't need another gun to cause anymore problems. I'm going to Selfridge," she said as a man with black curly hair and glasses ran after.

I looked over at the tall man and put my hand out, "I am Mia'Koda, its nice to meet you. But you can call me Koda" He shook my hand and said, "I'm Norm. Are you really a solider?" he looked down at my tags. I shook my head, "No" I said with a sigh, "I am a … religious consular, I guess. They dragged me up here because my religion is the same as theirs." I held onto my pentacle, "I was a teacher, a religious leader and guide to all who wished to learn and follow." I sighed again, "Well I'll see you guys tomorrow ok. Night" I said quietly as I walked out of the link room. That night wasn't easy, something was happening. My spirit guides were restless, I my self was pacing back and forth like a caged animal. She was planning something, All-mother was psyching herself out for something. Whatever it was the planet could tell. This place was attached to her just as much as I was. She was living and breathing all around me, what ever was planed for tomorrow was going to be interesting. The next morning I walked into the link room early, I was ready to make the link.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone. Thanks for all the great reviews. It has been brought to my attention that I never told you what Koda looks like. I jumped into this story with her in my head, but fear not it will be explained. For her it will be mostly in her Na'vi body anyway but I will describe her later on in this or the next chapter, depending on how carried away I get.

I laid down in a bed of silicone as the lid of the coffin closed. It felt as if the ending of one life and the beginning of another. Something big was going to happen and I wasn't sure of what it was going to be. It felt like being in a tornado of warm wind. At least that's what I felt, not to sure if I should have felt anything at all. When I opened my eyes, I was barraged with light and colour so vivid that it made my head hurt. I blinked the blindness away as a head came into my view. It was the doctor that made sure that there was no problem with the link. I was alone in the room, being that I was the newest female of the group. After all the motion tests, moving fingers and toes and such, I was able to get up and dress and move around. I dressed in a simple pair of shorts and a black tank top. A strip of elastic cloth bound and supported my chest, an unfortunate side effect of being a human hybrid, human anatomy. I didn't bother with the issued army boots that were supplied and opted to go barefoot instead. I strapped on my thigh holsters that held a few small knives that were only sharp enough for carving. The first task in my mind on this new planet was to carve a new symbol for my new body.

All of a sudden I heard the door of the room next to mine slam against the outside of the structure. I opened my door and watched as who I assumed to be Jake take off across the pavement. I leaned against the door way as I chuckled, I jogged after him, passed the basketball players. I was quickly gaining speed, I looked up a path that was coming up and saw a group of humans walking in army formations, a perimeter patrol group. I ran a little faster and dived over them, I rolled into a space between the crops and popped back up to my feet as I continued to run. I felt so invigorated. The All-Mother was all around me, in the air that I breathed, in the soil beneath my feet, pounding away in my chest. I continued to run, I passed Jake and another female that was with him as well as others in the garden. I no longer cared where I was or where I was going, my heart was pulling me. And I could only follow with a smile on my face and joy in my heart. A laugh was pulled from my chest as I continued to run, a smile so wide on my face, it could have split in half. Another tug in my heart pulled to my right and I changed direction so fast that I left a hole in the dirt. The air around me started to fill with noise of the night. Animals calling to roost, others calling for The Hunt. It was eerie and home all at once. So primal was this place that it left a hole in my soul, here I was stuck in confines, while life was being lived as intended just feet from me.

In front of me was the forest, and much to my distain a 15 foot tall reinforced chain link fence with razor wire top. The smile on my face turned into a silent scream, I was so close. She was just beyond my reach, I could practically see her there standing in the shadowed protection of the massive trees. There was a sharp pain in my head, as if someone was stabbing my brain with a red hot knife. I buckled, and folded to the ground landing on my knees gripping my head in my hands. Tears leaking out of my lashes. I felt digging into my skin, burrowing out my muscles, exposing my internals to the air. I felt my skin being flayed of my bones, my nerves being pulled out of my body. I screamed, loud enough that the raptors in the trees so close yet so far away, scattered in fright. After that everything faded to black as I fell into the soft earth. Little did I know that somewhere in the darkness of the forest another being screamed in joyous welcome as a woman with dark braded hair smiled as she faded into the trees.

When I regained consciousness I was in the med bay and very confused. My limbs were filled with prickling, my dark olive skin was slick with sweat. I looked up to see Norm and Grace standing over me, Jake was sitting off to my side with worry etched into his face. Grace and Norm were looking over the computers talking back and forth. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and sat up. Blood rushing to my skull and my ears ringing. I ran an unsteady hand through my waist length wavy dark brown hair, turning to look at Jake. "What in the nine hells happened? One moment I was fine and happy the next I'm on the torture wheel having my skin flayed off?" I ran a hand over my face, removing the sweat from my skin. I started to braid my hair, as I turned to look at Grace and Norm. "What happened?!" I insisted. Grace turned to look at me, "That lid has been open for 5 minutes and yet you still remained in the link. Somehow, you can stay linked without cerebral stimulus to you brain. We had to apply outside stimuli to your body to pull you back." I rolled my eyes, she was trying to sound smart with all her science. I knew a thing or two. "So, in other words" I lifted my arm, a trail of blood seeping through the fine hairs on my skin, flowing around the muscle, " you stabbed me with a needle?" I once again rolled my eyes, "There better have not been anything in it, I hate injections! Never know what kind of shit they are pumping into you." I slipped off of the table, wobbling for a second as pins and needles erupted through my feet and calves. Jake moved over to me, lending a supporting shoulder as I got my footing. I left my hand on his shoulder, nodding my thanks to him in my brief moment of unsteadiness. I looked to Grace, "well you have fun trying to figure that out. Jake," I looked down at him, "How about we go get some slop… I mean food. Norm, Care to join us?" I glanced over at him and saw the curiosity splashed across his face as he gazed at the screens. He didn't even hear me, I chuckled and turned back to Jake. "Come on, lest leave the science-oids to their business." he managed to get out between chuckles. We walked out the door and were off to find the cafeteria and all of its freeze dried food for people unable to adapt to the new, glorious world they now lived on, if you could call this living.


End file.
